In need of depth at the hot corner and with German Marquez headed to the 15-day injured list with right forearm inflammation, the Rockies called up Nolan Jones ahead of Wednesday’s homestand finale.

Once the Guardians’ top prospect, Cleveland traded Jones to Colorado in November in exchange for minor-league infielder Juan Brito. Jones’ call-up sets him up for an opportunity to fill in at third base (and elsewhere) with Elehuris Montero nursing a thumb/wrist injury.

“We’re optimistic German will be back within that 15-day (IL) period and we’re encouraged by (the non-seriousness) of it,” manager Bud Black said. “In the meantime, with Montero day-to-day, we felt we needed some reinforcements. So we brought Nolan in to help the next few days, and hopefully he can contribute in some way.”

Jones slashed .244/.309/.372 with two homers in 28 games for Cleveland last year after debuting July 8. Over the past couple seasons, the Guardians expanded Jones’ defensive versatility from third base to include first as well as the corner outfield spots. When he arrived in spring training following the offseason trade, Black said Jones was pressing.

“He self-admitted, he tried a little too hard in spring training with a bit of a rough spring,” Black said. “But there’s a powerful swing in there, a young athletic body that hopefully one day will translate to a major league player. He can run a little bit, he’s got power, he can throw. Now it’s just a matter of getting the bat to the ball more consistently, and developing a selective eye with a strike zone command.”

Jones hit .200 with no homers and 23 strikeouts in 21 spring training games. But after getting sent to Triple-A Albuquerque to start the season, Jones went on a tear, slashing .359/.479/.872 with six homers and a 1.351 OPS at the time of his call-up.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Jones said. “Coming into spring, I saw an opportunity with a new team and a lot of new faces to go out and show who I could be and what I could do. Sometimes when you try to do too much, you end up with a lot of strikeouts. So the message (from Black after spring training) was go have fun, get the bat going and be where my feet are.”

Jones said he got the news late Tuesday night and “didn’t sleep a minute.”

“All the emotions are the exact same I felt the first time (last year with Cleveland) — it’s just more real now,” Jones said. “The first time it was like I was a little kid, and now it’s like this is my job, and I want to stay here.”

With Marquez now on the IL, the Rockies could elect to skip Marquez’s spot in the rotation Sunday in Seattle because Colorado has an off-day on Thursday. Or, Colorado might look to the minors to fill that start (and possibly another) for Marquez. Noah Davis or Peter Lambert are obvious options, as they’re already on the 40-man roster, or Colorado could make a 40-man move and bring up Karl Kauffmann.

Injury updates. Black said outfielder Randal Grichuk, who underwent surgery for a sports hernia in mid-February, is feeling good physically. Grichuk had multiple hits in an extended spring training game Tuesday. Black said now “it’s just a matter of getting his repetitions, getting his at-bats after no spring training.” He could be a couple weeks from making his 2023 debut… Right-hander Antonio Senzatela is pitching Friday in an extended spring training game as he continues to come back from last season’s torn ACL… Southpaw Ryan Rolison, coming back from shoulder surgery, threw a side session Tuesday and Black said the next step for him will be a “game-type situation.”

Pitching Matchup

Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-2, 6.75) at Mariners LHP Marco Gonzales (1-0, 4.22)
8:10 p.m. Friday, T-Mobile Park
TV: ATTRM
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM

Gomber fared decently in his season debut in San Diego, recording a quality start with three runs allowed over six innings. But the southpaw, whom Colorado desperately needs to bolster the middle part of the rotation — especially with German Marquez currently on the 15-day IL — took a step backward in his second start. He was tagged for five runs in 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Nationals last weekend. Colorado needs more consistency from Gomber, especially at home. Meanwhile, Gonzales is a former Rocky Mountain star who is still the only pitcher in state history to get the win in four state title games. He had a sub-4.00 ERA from 2019-21 while emerging as Seattle’s ace, but hasn’t been as dominant over the past season-plus. So far this year, he didn’t make it to the sixth inning in either of his starts.

Pitching probables

Saturday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (0-1, 4.75) at Mariners RHP George Kirby (1-0, 4.35), 7:40, ATTRM
Sunday: Rockies TBA at Mariners RHP Luis Castillo (1-0, 1.02), 7:40, ATTRM
Monday: Pirates LHP Rich Hill (0-2, 7.20) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (2-0, 0.96), 6:40, ATTRM

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